BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10: Your questions answered

Is BES10 free? Does BlackBerry 10 feature holster profile support?

Last week, we published our review of the newly revamped BlackBerry mobile operating system. BlackBerry 10 is a fresh reprisal of a once-dominant mobile platform. Though many have expressed doubt that it will remain a significant player in the mobile wars, we can see it maintaining its relevancy into the new year.

Where it could really have a leg-up is in the enterprise sector—again, almost exactly where it started. BlackBerry Balance helps users keep their personal and work data in separate spaces, but it requires some IT support and BlackBerry Enterprise Server 10 (or "BES") to work. This feature sparked a few more questions begging for an explanation, so we combed through the comments of our review to answer a few for you.

Is BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 free?

For starters, the BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 (the new version of BlackBerry’s Web-based mobility management software) is available as a free download. After 60 days, it will require a one-time $99 license fee per device. There is also a “license trade up” program that will enable those with existing BES licenses to swap them out for BlackBerry 10 compatible ones.

For companies that may still be operating on BES5, that’s now been incorporated into BES 10. As long as there are no BlackBerry Enterprise Service 7 or earlier devices present, there is no need to install BES5 to have BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 working properly.

What features of BlackBerry 10 require BES 10 to work?

As we noted in our review, BlackBerry Balance requires the existence of BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 to work. Once it’s enabled from BES10, you are sent an activation password to set up your work space. After that’s engaged, BES 10 begins to remotely install applications and input e-mail accounts based on what the IT department has set up.

BES10 is also required if you want to have access to apps available through BlackBerry World for Work, the corporate app storefront for BlackBerry 10. BES10 enables administrators to choose and manage applications they want employees to use. Those apps can then be pushed through to the devices connected to the BES10-enabled network.

Also, if you’re the administrator, BES10 helps manage different work profiles, like group management with Active Directory integration and assignable profiles for e-mail, SCEP, Wi-Fi, VPN, and proxy servers.

Does BlackBerry 10 let you connect to PCs via Remote Desktop?

BlackBerry supports remote desktop connections through third-party applications, like Splashtop, which is readily available for download in BlackBerry World.

If you’d like access to folders located within an enterprise network, you’ll need an application like BlackBerry Work Drives, which is only available to devices that have BlackBerry Balance available to them. BlackBerry Work Drives features the ability to connect and manage multiple network drives from BlackBerry 10, access documents and network folders via a File Manager, create and edit documents with Documents to Go, and attach documents from shared network drives to an e-mail.

Does BlackBerry 10 support a screen reader for the visually impaired?

BlackBerry 10 no longer provides screen reader, which is a service that interprets what is being displayed on the screen and relays it via text-to-speech, sound icons, or a Braille output device. As brought to light in an e-mail from reader Gordon Byrnes:

BlackBerry 10 has no screen reader. This makes it a complete non-starter to any blind potential users; there is simply no way to interact with the OS... it was just a few months ago that BlackBerry finally updated and replaced the languishing screen reader for their legacy OS.

BlackBerry responded that its Z10 handset offers features like the Magnify application, which enlarges the screen resolution. It also offers scalable font sizes, voice control, and dictation. The company added in a statement that its "Accessibility team at BlackBerry continues to develop other features to assist customers with disabilities." However, there was no explicit mention of screen reader support on the BlackBerry 10 operating system.

Is Auto lock/profile change in the holster still available?

BlackBerry 10 still has a few options for users who prefer to holster their devices. Within the settings, you can modify the holster option so the BlackBerry answers calls when it’s taken out of its holster and immediately hangs up when it’s placed back down. For more secure settings, you can have the device immediately lock up when it’s holstered so that a password is required when it’s pulled out of the holster.

CrackBerry, the popular BlackBerry community site, adds that there is currently no option to toggle profiles when the handset is holstered. It’s always possible this could be included in a future update to BlackBerry 10, however.

What if my question isn’t on here?

If you have any other questions about BlackBerry 10, let us know below and we'll see if we can't get them answered for you!